Halo: Timeless
by bldude
Summary: A mysterious phenomenon throws the AFS Light of Deliverance and its crew back in time to the height of the Human-Covenant war, fought by their forefathers.  Will their choices and presence in the past affect the outcome of the war?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Inspiration from the final countdown, and zipang. I own nothing except my own characters. I also own this version of the rather well used plot. Enjoy!_

**13.7 Units Cycle 162, Year 65 (Alliance Calendar) / **_**Light of Deliverance**_**, Deep Space, AFS-UNSC border**

The Alliance of Free Species Aegis-Class Destroyer _Light of Deliverance_ glided through space majestically. It wasn't alone, its sister ships, the _Contemplation of Purity, Pious Fury_, and the 2.4 kilometer long Equinox-Class Carrier _Conviction _flew in formation with it, repulsor engines glowing brightly against the blackness of space. The blue hulled ships were patrolling the AFS's border alongside the UNSC. Hundreds of thousands of kilometers distant was a battlegroup of 5 UNSC warships, also on patrol.

Ship Commander Aeacus strode through the outer doors leading into the bridge, passing by the pair of Sangheili rangers that stood guard. They saluted him by thumping their chests, and he nodded in return. As the 9 foot tall Jiralhanae sat down in his Commander's chair, he couldn't help but sigh. Since the ship's rollout and his assignment to it three years ago, they had done nothing but patrols and the regular combat exercises. It was all very routine, and boring in the extreme.

The _Light of Deliverance_ was one of the newest ships in the fleet. Personally, Aeacus thought that patrolling the AFS-UNSC border, a safe zone due to the heavy military presence of both interstellar governments was a misuse of his ship. At the very least, they could be in the outer systems, hunting down pirates. Looking at the stars through the bridge viewscreen, he found himself wishing something would happen, something that would break the dreariness of his assignment.

"Status report Fal?" Aeacus asked.

On a podium to the right of the command chair, a holographic image of noble looking Sangheili appeared. He was clad in the archaic golden armor of the ancient arbiter of the Covenant, his personality and appearance based on Fal 'Chavam, a historical arbiter that famously rejected the Great Journey long ago. This was the _Light of Deliverance_'s combat A.I.

"There are no problems with the ship, our patrol will take us another four and a half units to complete before we accelerate and enter slipspace." The A.I. replied.

"Good, carry on." Aeacus said. With a nod, Fal's hologram disappeared in a swirl of holographic dust.

The ship would carry on its path for another fifth of a unit, but something would occur, an event that would break the monotony of the patrol…

* * *

><p>In the darkness of space, a celestial phenomenon appeared. It started with a pinprick of light, which rapidly grew, until it was visible by the naked eye, even by beings hundreds of thousands of kilometers distant. It appeared as a violent, swirling vortex of light, red, orange, white, with a tinge of green. Tendrils of energy lashed out from the event horizon. It was right in front of the AFS patrol path.<p>

* * *

><p>Aeacus and the rest of the bridge crew stared in mute shock at the sudden appearance of the vortex.<p>

A few moments passed before Aeacus found his voice.

"Nav, what is that thing?" Aeacus asked, his voice hoarse.

Zesa 'Rolam, the officer manning the Nav station swiveled his chair slowly to face Aeacus, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Scans are reading it as a wormhole like tear in the fabric of the Space-Time continuum, which shouldn't be possible, I don't know how to explain it sir." The sangheili said.

Fal appeared suddenly, looking deathly serious.

"The vortex is warping space around it. The UNSC ships are already backing off, we're closer to it, so the effects may be stronger." He stated.

After a pause, he continued,

"The Fleet Commander has ordered all vessels to reverse course, full speed. A transmission has already been sent to Fleet HQ, a science group is already being prepared, we're to drop a probe and jump out of here immediately."

Aeacus nodded, they had a course of action.

"Launch the probe at the vortex, then turn us around." He ordered.

"Probe away…" the nav officer replied.

On screen however, a tendril of energy surprisingly shot towards the probe, vaporizing it…and leapfrogging to the _Light of Deliverance_. The lance of energy struck the ship in the nose, the hull conforming energy shields flared bright silver as waves of energy rippled on its surface. The entire ship shook, and several of the bridge lights went out.

"Sir! Our shields have dropped by 78%, and we've lost power to communications, and engines!" cried Ramos 'Moram, the ops officer.

On screen, the vortex grew quickly larger, despite no change in magnification.

Fal appeared again, looking grim,

"We're being drawn into the vortex, we reach the event horizon in twenty seconds."

Aeacus stared at the A.I., aghast. This was turning FUBAR, as a human colleague of his would say.

"Ok…transfer all available power to shields, and all hands brace for impact!" he ordered, the last part being transmitted throughout the ship.

It was a tense twenty seconds, as the bridge crew silently braced themselves, staring at the vortex growing closer and closer, its bright maw with whips of energy roiling into space. As they were about to enter, the viewscreen flickered, and blurred with static. Any remaining lights went out, and the emergency lights didn't kick in. A heartbeat later, there was a loud grinding sound, and the ship rumbled, throwing personnel that weren't strapped into a seat across the bridge, despite holding on to handhelds.

This continued on for a good ten seconds, then, there was silence.

* * *

><p><em>Just a little prologue of what is planned to be a moderately short story. I have a lot of those lying around on my hard drive, might as well upload one that sounds interesting (In my opinion). Still writing Halo: The Koprulu Sector, this is just an experiment. Please review! <em>


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Second chapter, enjoy!_

**Time: Date Error/ **_**Light of Deliverance**_**, Unknown Location**

The violent shaking came to an abrupt end, and the bridge lights came back on, casting a blue-white glow throughout the oval shaped room.

"Report!" Aeacus ordered, not caring which officer answered, only that he could get one.

"Commander, ship power has been restored, all lights across the board are green, we sustained no damage despite the…turbulence. Sensors and the viewscreen should be coming back online about…now." The ops officer reported.

The viewscreen flashed back on, clear of static, showing a green-white orb in the distance.

"Wait, that planet wasn't there before! Where are we? And identify that planet!" Aeacus exclaimed, jaws agape.

Before anyone could carry out his orders, a large shadow eclipsed the _Light of Deliverance_, and a ship rumbled past, not a kilometer away, in formation with seventeen other ships of varying size.

Whatever functioned as an oral orifice for all the beings in the _Deliverance_'s bridge opened wide in shock. The ship that had just passed over them was an Assault-Carrier. At just over five kilometers in length, it was one of the largest ships ever used by the Covenant, and after the war, the Alliance.

Subcommander Menas 'Zamam was the first to recover.

"It can't be, the last one was decommissioned decades ago… 'Moram! Identify it!" he said.

"Sir! It's the _Resplendent Fervor_! The fleet is reading as part of the Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence, but it was disbanded after the war!" 'Moram reported.

"What is going on here…" 'Zamam questioned, quietly to himself.

"Detecting multiple energy spikes! Directed plasma fire and…MAC rounds!" the weapons officer cried, in his high pitched Unggoy voice.

"MACs! There are human ships then, what is going on here?" Aeacus asked, perplexed.

"Magnify viewscreen, grid 48 by 92!" he ordered.

The viewscreen zoomed in on an area close to the planet. Unfamiliar ship classifications yet clearly of human design engaged the Covenant fleet. Aeacus blinked, he swore he saw what looked like an antiquated Marathon-Class cruiser in the melee, the profile was the same,_ but what was a museum ship doing in the middle of a pitched battle?_ He thought.

"Sir, scans are reading a UNSC force of twenty ships by the planet, I'm reading their flagship as…as the UNSC _Everest_?" 'Moram reported, sounding confused on the last part.

"I could swear I've heard of that name somewhere…" he muttered.

"It's Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole's ship. It was destroyed at the battle of Psi Serpentis in 2543, UNSC military calendar." Fal answered, causing half the bridge crew to jump in surprise. The familiar A.I. projected his avatar in a holotank.

"He was a famous human military leader. I've examined the evidence and our surroundings." Fal continued. "We appear to be in the past."

"What! Time travel's impossible, it's merely science fiction!" 'Zamam exclaimed in disbelief.

"Time travel is very much possible, the Forerunners were capable of it using a certain crystalline artifact, one of which was found on the human world of Reach. In fact, the University of Edinburgh has an entire subject on it in their Xenoarcheology department." Fal countered.

"Wait, I read about that, wasn't that artifact found in 2552 and subsequently destroyed? We recovered the fragments for study." Mayap put in.

"Correct, sailor. Continuing on, based on the data available to me, we appear to have been catapulted back in time to April 14, 2532, specifically at the latter stages of the Battle of New Aberdeen. That's the planet over there, by the way, population of 4 million humans." Fal said.

"New Aberdeen? My Grandfather fought in this battle, this was his first engagement…" 'Zamam mused.

"Indeed, at this point, Cole's fleet broke apart and fled on randomized vectors." Fal continued, indicating with a holographic hand the point on the viewscreen.

"Covenant ships pursued fleeing UNSC ships in hopes of them leading to other human colonies, not knowing that they were in fact, enacting the famous Cole protocol, which lengthened the war by an estimated twenty human years. By the way, for those unfamiliar with the human Calendar, they use a 24 units a cycle, 365 cycles a year system, compared to our 30 units a cycle, 270 cycles a year system. Their system is based on Earth's rotation. Because the Alliance Calendar system has not been implemented yet as of this time period, I suggest using the UNSC Calendar system. Our present is 2636; we are approximately 104 human years in the past." Fal explained.

"Very well, we shall use the UNSC military calendar. At present, I am at a loss on a course of action." Aeacus replied.

"While it seems that the sensor technology of this time period cannot penetrate our passive stealth, hence why they passed by us without response, I wouldn't recommend staying in the vicinity. While it's unlikely, we can still be spotted visually." Fal answered.

"Commanders, the colony's being glassed!" 'Rolam reported from the Nav station.

Gasps came from each of the bridge members. None of them had seen a world being glassed in their lifetimes before.

"What should we do? We can't let this barbaric act continue!" 'Zamam cried.

"Do? _We _can't do anything. Interfering would cause a temporal paradox. Subcommander 'Zamam, you said it yourself, your grandfather is participating in this battle. By stopping the glassing of this colony, you may end up not being born!" the A.I. responded harshly.

This little revelation caused a lot of bridge officers to squirm and ponder on their situation.

"Then with heavy hearts, we must leave the colony to its fate. Nav Officer 'Rolam, calculate a slipspace exit vector. Our destination is our previous patrol location. We may be able to find some clues on how to get back to our own time." Aeacus ordered.

"Yes commander, course calculated, engines answering half power ahead." The sangheili officer replied. Any more than half power, and the ship's stealth ECM wouldn't cope, they would light up like a flare to even the primitive sensors used in this time period.

No one wanted to think about what would happen if they were stranded in this time. They could not interact with the people of this time without altering the timeline, and indeed, could not even resupply their stores. It was a troubling dilemma.

"I shall prepare a report to the rest of the crew on our situation then. Subcommander, inform each of the senior officers, and have the information trickle down the ranks." Aeacus ordered.

"No need, I have broadcasted our previous conversation throughout the ship. It saves a lot of daft questions" Fal said. "There is a lot of debate going on, but for the most part, the crew is acting normally."

"Oh…alright then, carry on."

The _Light of Deliverance_ accelerated and entered slipspace, gracefully disappearing, silent and without notice.

Unbeknownst to the crew, against extremely high odds, they had followed several UNSC ships, pursued by an equal number of Covenant ships on an identical course.

* * *

><p><strong>Alliance Historical Archives:<strong>

_**Battle of New Aberdeen**_

_On April 12, 2532, nine Covenant ships belonging to the Third fleet of Glorious Consequence entered the system. Having detected the force through remote sensing stations, Vice Admiral Cole gathered a task force to protect the Colony of New Aberdeen. Cole had forty ships at his disposal, and led the fleet on the UNSC Marathon-Class cruiser Everest. _

_Seven of the Covenant ships directly engaged the UNSC fleet, while two ships landed ground troops on the Planet. All nine Covenant ships were destroyed, at the cost of twenty UNSC ships._

_The UNSC landed ground forces and halted the Covenant advance. Through their efforts, approximately 70% of the civilian population was successfully evacuated. _

_On April 14, 2532, the Covenant returned with eighteen ships, including a carrier, and an Assault-Carrier commanded by Supreme Commander Luro 'Taralumee. They broke through Admiral Cole's lines, and went on to glass the colony, killing the 1.1 million civilians that had __not evacuated in time. Cole lost a further six ships before his ships scattered, fleeing the system on randomized vectors as per the then newly established Cole Protocol, with no coordination._

_Two UNSC ships were chased down and lost with all hands; the rest regrouped and rendezvoused with the UNSC tenth fleet. Now eighty seven ships strong, the UNSC returned to New Aberdeen, and ultimately drove away the remaining Covenant forces. However, the colony had already been glassed. The UNSC subsequently abandoned the system, and the Covenant Juggernaut moved on._

* * *

><p>Reviews please! Just writing in tiny chapters, the <em>LoD <em>will see action next chapter, as they are forced to deal with troublesome temporal paradoxes.


	3. Chapter 3

_Story Note: I wrote this chapter in late June, but didn't get a chance to upload it before my hard drive failed. I previously thought it lost, but after another check through recovered files, I found it. Unfortunately, that search didn't turn up the completed chapter of Halo: The Koprulu Sector..._

A/N: Admittedly, the quality of this chapter may not be up to standards, I wrote it while being bored during a 4k kilometer road trip in an extremely cramped car. Even so…Read, and review please!

**1535 Hours, April 14, 2532 (Military Calendar)\Light of Deliverance, in Slipspace**

"I estimate 6 minutes until that carrier drops out of slipspace, based on their power generation." Fal reported.

Three battle damaged UNSC ships had taken a random course heading together, with the incredible coincidence of being a near exact path the _Light of Deliverance_ took.

"Their pursuers?" Aeacus rumbled out.

"Thirty seconds behind them, a carrier, a heavy destroyer, and the Reverence-Class cruiser _Mystic's Wrath _leading."

Unfortunately for the UNSC ships, a Covenant force had detected and followed them, perhaps in hopes of finding another human colony. When those ships dropped out of slipspace…it would be a massacre.

"I reiterate, we cannot interfere, doing so would cause a time paradox." Subcommander 'Zamam insisted, with just a bit of irritation.

"I know that subcommander, however, knowing I may be seeing thousands of soldiers die without a fair chance to fight makes my blood boil." Aeacus replied.

"I know sir, that's why we should just move on and leave the humans to their fate. At this point in time, we owe them nothing. Indeed, and even if we do save them, they may take us for the enemy too."

"…Fal, identify those humans vessels." Aeacus asked.

"Sir, knowing their names will simply make things worse…" 'Zamam cautioned.

"That is the UNSC _Atlas_ a _Wakiyima-_Class Carrier, it is heavily damaged, along with its two escorts, the UNSC _Resolute_, and the UNSC _Thunderchild_, both _Toronto-_Class destroyers." Fal said.

"And now you know the doomed ships names commander. But like I said, we can't help them."

"Based on historical records, it appears that those ships are carrying the Spartan-II detachment that turned the tide during the ground campaign of New Aberdeen colony. About sixteen Spartans were in that campaign I believe." Fal continued.

That made everyone freeze.

"Spartans! Then at least one human ship will be able to escape, the one with the Spartan detachment onboard." Aeacus said, his massive jaw curving into a broad grin.

"But how…Even the most incompetent ship master should be able to handle this! How did a human ship escape destruction in this situation!" 'Zamam exclaimed.

"The subcommander has a valid point, the simulations prove it, it is highly improbable that any UNSC ship can escape from this scenario…unless…" Fal put a hand to his holographic quadruple hinged mandibles as if in deep thought.

"One minute until estimated exit point!" Command Sailor 'Rolam repored.

Aeacus gripped the sides of his chair tightly, staring intently at the blue and red icons indicating the two groups of ships in slipspace. He felt apprehension…and also a sense of hope steadily rising.

His ever alert 1st officer noticed, "Commander, please remember we can't intervene without quite certainly wiping out all we know. Jumping into the heat of things without so much as a second thought may very well cause the loss of even that one ship that would've surv-"

"I've come to the conclusion, we must intervene! I've calculated a course, we'll exit slipspace in stealth mode, between the UNSC and Covenant ships. Firing solutions are being calculated." Fal stated, suddenly coming out of his musings with surprising conviction.

"Wait, what! I thought you were the one who stated that we cannot interfere in past events! Explain yourself immediately!" 'Zamam exclaimed, mandibles spread in shock.

"There is insufficient time to detail my conclusions. Only know that I am absolutely certain that we can, no MUST intervene." Fal answered.

"You may be sure, but you have been wrong before! If we couldn't interfere back at that battle, why can we here?" 'Zamam countered.

"We have only a few moments before we must act on a preordained path, I have examined multiple sources of information, my reasoning is robust."

"Really-"

But before 'Zamam could continue his protests, Aeacus cut him off.

"Alright Fal, I understand, all hands report battle stations, all hands report battle stations, this is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill!" The grizzled Jiralhanae commander ordered.

Alarm klaxons reverberated throughout the ship, prompting surprised sailors and warriors to lock down ship sections and suit up in armor and vacuum sealed suits. All around the ship, the highly trained crew made ready for the ship's first true combat situation.

"All sections report ready. Ship board marine forces are nearly finished suiting up, and pilots can be in their craft in three minutes." Command Sailor 'Moram reported filled with grim excitement.

"Reactor to 50%, but make preparations for a quick rise to full, and energize shields…"

"Commander, think this through, we'll be irrevocably altering history if we do this…" 'Zamam protested.

The rest of the bridge crew worked efficiently, pointedly ignoring the heated argument.

"Menas, I have an inkling of what Fal has planned. During my time on Earth, some of my human friends introduced me to some interesting literature on theoretical temporal studies." Aeacus replied.

"Sir, I respectfully request that you think this through, Fal's reasoning could be incorrect. Aeacus…" The commander paused at the rare use of his first name, giving 'Zamam his full attention.

"What if we are wrong, what if we end up changing everything we know, for the worst?"

"Where was that attitude back at New Aberdeen?"

'Zamam flinched at the rebuke.

"'Zamam, I understand your worries, but my decision is made. Will you abide by my choice?" Aeacus questioned, staring intently at his subcommander.

"UNSC ships have dropped out of slipspace! We drop out in five! Four, three, two, one!" 'Rolam counted down. The ship rumbled and silently exited the alternate dimension, not so much of a ripple.

"Covenant ships are twenty seconds behind us!"

The veteran Sangheili stared back in the eyes of his commander , his sleek eyes narrowed. Then he stiffened, and nodded, not speaking. Aeacus kept his gaze for a second longer before turning back to the tactical screen.

"Commander, we must stay under stealth and also intercept Covenant weapons fire for 94 seconds. Following that, we can begin our attack run, starting with an antimatter missile in the middle of their formation. It may seem strange, but I have to stress the fact that our opening must be a missile, and one of the heavier loads. But we must wait for that time. I have the utmost confidence in you all." Fal stated.

Aeacus merely nodded.

"It is a sound standard opening, I have no objections." 'Zamam agreed.

"Weapons, prepare interception signals, let their plasma leave the ships first."

Human-Covenant War era Covenant warships utilized plasma torpedoes fired from plasma turrets as their primary weapon. The plasma from the ship's reactors was kept hot and ready to use in a combat situation. The plasma would be collected and directed on a controllable trajectory. The charged plasma would be shunted into a magnetic bubble and discharged at the target. Additional pulse charges were used to guide the plasma towards its target.

Most AFS warships were equipped with an electromagnetic array system, which when was introduced, rendered plasma torpedo weaponry obsolete.

The Covenant ships dropped out of slipspace, in precise formation. Immediately, their sides warmed to a dull red, and half a dozen torpedoes were launched, two at each UNSC ship.

With a deft hand, Command sailor Mayap sent electromagnetic pulses at each torpedo, breaking apart containment bubbles in mid flight, and stopped them dead in space.

A wave of plasma erupted between the _Light of Deliverance_ and the Covenant ships, filling the darkness of space with red, orange and blue light.

Undeterred, if a little confused, the Covenant ships fired again, this time with twelve torpedoes. Again, Mayap intercepted the superheated balls of plasma, stopping seven. However as the EM arrays recharged for follow up pulses, the remaining torpedoes streaked past the _Light of Deliverance_, two of them impacting the closest human ship, the UNSC _Thunderchild_, which obviously had engine troubles being dead in space. The ship detonated in a nuclear fireball, the sphere of raging energies lasting several seconds.

Aeacus swore, even as Mayap blocked the remaining three torpedoes in the nick of time. If they were on a larger ship, they could've stopped all of the torpedoes.

"Commander, they have tracked our origin. They may not see us, but they know our general position." 'Zamam reported, his voice strained with worry.

"Sirs! One of the human ships is getting ready to jump!" the nav officer reported.

Onscreen, a tear in the fabric of space opened, and the UNSC destroyer _Resolute_ started entering, escaping with its precious cargo safe onboard. The UNSC carrier _Atlas_ however, remained, its slipspace drive inoperative.

"Now! Weapons free, weapons free, we are free to engage!" Fal suddenly cried, their countdown had finished.

"Power to weapons! Get me a firing solution on that cruiser, it's our biggest threat! I want the PAC charged, and the turrets ready!" Aeacus ordered. "And ready that missile!"

_Future technology or not, they had to be careful in this_, Aeacus thought, the _Light of Deliverance_ was only a light destroyer class, a mere 700 meters in length. Comparatively, even the smallest ship they faced was over twice their size.

Onscreen, the Covenant carrier launched a squadron of Seraph starfighters at them, then immediately jumped, ending right behind the _Light of Deliverance_, nearly on top of the _Atlas_. The 3 kilometer long UNSC carrier opened fire near point blank on the Covenant analogue half its own size. Dozens of archer missiles and tracers indicating point defense fire impacted the Covenant carrier's shields, without effect. In response, the Covenant carrier fired pulse lasers, destroying missile pods and guns with pinpoint accuracy. A dozen phantom dropships were launched, and entered the UNSC carrier through the gaping holes in the wounded ship.

The _Light of Deliverance_ fired a single missile, one of the twenty the light destroyer carried, as well as dozens of lighter yield decoy missiles. Out of side bays, a dozen single craft launched simultaneously, the light destroyer's complement of Guardian interceptors. The dark blue shooting star shaped fighter craft fought against three times their numbers of Seraphs, but they easily outmaneuvered their opponents. Seraph after seraph was holed and destroyed by the more advanced Guardian craft.

Pulse laser fire intercepted the missiles, stitching them with bright flashes of plasma, to no avail, as onboard shielding protected them en route to its target. A massive fireball enveloped the three thousand meter long Covenant heavy cruiser and its escorting destroyer when the antimatter missile detonated.

With one last bright flare of light and radiation, the _Resolute_ entered slipspace and safety, in the alternate dimension that enabled faster than light travel.

Meanwhile, as the energies of a 650 megaton detonation lashed away at the silver shield bubbles, behind the _Light of Deliverance_ the enemy carrier turned, firing up its engines, and started approaching at high speed, spitting out single craft as fast as it could.

* * *

><p>"Our fighters are still tied up with their first squadron commander."<p>

"Very well, Fal, get me a firing solution with the main guns, and ready the point defenses. Mayap, remember when electromagnetic pulse warfare first came out? Take any chances you can get." Aeacus ordered.

"With pleasure." The unggoy officer grinned.

Sixty Seraph single craft streaked toward the _Light of Deliverance_. Behind them, the 1.45 km long carrier turned. Three of its turrets glowed in preparation to fire.

This time however, as the torpedoes formed, the Alliance ship had a surprise for them. The carrier's shields dropped for a split second to fire the torpedoes. In that time, Mayap sent EM pulses, and unimpeded by shields, which would have otherwise stopped such pulses, they broke apart the magnetic containment bubbles of the torpedoes- meters away from the carrier's hull. Fire blossomed along the carrier's flank as their own plasma washed over the hull. Numerous shield arrays, sensors, and armor plating melted.

"Main guns, fire!" Aeacus roared.

Two of the double barreled cannons that the _Light of Deliverance_ had fired blood red laser-fine high energy plasma beams, keeping a steady stream on their target. They crossed the space between the two ships in a microsecond. The beams entered through the breach in the carrier's hull from the plasma torpedoes and punched through to the other side. Mayap guided the beam like a scalpel, moving it through the hull effortlessly. The beam hit the main reactor, detonating the carrier in a massive explosion of plasma. Blue white energy expanded out into space along with small bits of debris, some of which, hit the crippled UNSC carrier near it.

Meanwhile, Fal had taken control of the 38 Pulse Laser Auto-turrets the light destroyer was armed with, and operated them with precision and efficiency impossible for organic beings. No matter how each seraph attempted to evade, they were destroyed by the dense screen of anti-air fire from the turrets.

The entire bridge crew let out a cheer of victory, but 'Zamam immediately yelled at them to settle down, they still had two ships to face.

The remaining Covenant ships, seeing that their plasma torpedoes were ineffective and could be used against them, resorted to their other weapon.

"Commander! There are large energy spikes coming from both ships!"

"Readings are consistent with energy projectors, I'm rerouting power to shields, I hope you don't mind commander." Fal said.

"All hands, brace for impact!" Aeacus shouted over the ship wide com.

Dual beams of energy impacted on the nose of the Alliance ship, rippling energy on its hull conforming silver shields, a design much more efficient than the outdated bubble shields their enemies were using.

On the _Deliverance_'s bridge, sparks seemed to erupt from everywhere at once, and the lights flickered uncertainly.

"Shields down to 20% power! Routing secondary shields to reinforce…now climbing to 50% commander!" 'Moram reported.

To his right, a holographic screen appeared, scrolling down with damage reports. Aeacus ignored it.

"Status of the PAC?" He asked.

"95…97…100! It's fully charged and ready to fire."

"Then fire, send that cruiser on its way to Great Journey sailor." Aeacus ordered.

"Yes sir."

The _Light of Deliverance_, thrusters firing on full, orientated to point directly at the listing Covenant cruiser. On the underside of the bow of the destroyer, armor plates slid apart, revealing what appeared to be a large circular grey barrel. Apparent panels however, broke apart and flexed, visible particles of energy swirling around them, glowing brighter.

In the bridge, lights dimmed, and the bridge crew waited, as a holographic countdown appeared, showing the weapon status.

Charged particles gathered at the forefront of the barrel, glowing brighter, before being streamed forward near the speed of light by an acceleration ring. A pulsating purple-green beam shot towards the cruiser, a fiery aura surrounding the beam. It impacted the cruiser, plowing through the shields in a heartbeat, and obliterating the hull, armor and all. The ship simply disintegrated from contact with the beam. The particle beam diminished in size, before finally dissipating, leaving a massive gap in the heavy cruiser, edges glowing orange from the heat. Finally, secondary explosions tore the once majestic 3km long heavy apart.

"Beam turrets 1 through 7 target that destroyer, I want it gone!" Aeacus growled.

The beam cannons fired, dual crimson plasma beams impacting the larger, 1500 meter long destroyer's shields, once, twice, five times in as many seconds. The shields on the destroyer popped, and the ship immediately took evasive action. No dice, as the following beam shots traveled to the destroyer's previous position, Mayap, using the same EM pulse arrays that had so effectively rendered their plasma torpedoes useless, sent pulses in front of the beam shot's trajectory. The shots were redirected to the side, arcing into the flank of the heavy destroyer's hull. Metal boiled, as the ship was cut in half.

The _Light of Deliverance_ fired its cannons again, annihilating the two halves of the Covenant destroyer.

Aeacus let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Ship status?" He asked.

"Shields holding, some shield circuits and power conduits were overloaded when we were hit by those energy projectors, but nothing we can't repair. Alpha squadron reports slight to moderate damage to fighters, no casualties. They've mopped up the remains of the enemy squadron. The particle accelerator cannon has been withdrawn into its housing." 'Moram reported.

"And status of the UNSC ship?"

"They have approximately 300 Covenant troops onboard…and about 120 human survivors…but the humans are steadily dwindling. The ship's dead in the water and primary power has failed. Their bridge has been destroyed, and the ship's been cored deep enough that even their battle bridge has been destroyed."

"Launch our dropships. Rules of engagement are for non lethal ordinance against the humans only, and let's try to get the Covenant boarders to surrender, we've killed enough today already. Broadcast on their frequencies that they have nowhere to go, and try to notify the humans that we're rescuing them, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll listen."

"Yes sir." 'Zamam replied dispassionately.

The message was broadcasted. But immediately, they received fanatical cries calling them heretics and unbelievers, along with threats of their eternal damnation on the channel. It got so loud that Aeacus shut the channel down.

"Well, no surprise there, this attitude is well covered on the history channel. Human documentaries prove unerringly accurate on their fervor." Fal mused.

All he got was a raised eyelid from 'Zamam and a raised bushy eyebrow from Aeacus.

* * *

><p>Four blue-gray Valkyrie dropships, vaguely similar to their distant predecessor the Phantom navigated past a ring of debris obscuring their entry point into the massive UNSC <em>Wakiyima<em>-Class carrier. They carried 90 of the Alliance's best troops.

Onboard Dropship-B, Warrior Minor 3rd Class Tano 'Eren clutched his plasma Autorifle tightly, anxious for his first real combat mission. This whole time travel situation was almost unbelievable, were it not for the hundreds of religious zealots they were about to face. He hoped these over religious nutcases would provide some challenge against the modern kit he was packing. Judging by the fanatical shouts they had received in response to their ultimatum, combat was certain.

"For any of you that have misgivings about fighting your own species, remember that in this time period, our people believed in a false religion to the point of stupidity. Just treat them as pirates, and kill them before they kill you!" A Sangheili warrior major cried.

He received a chorus of affirming cries in response.

The platoon 2nd, a Jiralhanae warrior elite stepped forward to brief them.

"Alright warriors, our platoon will be one of the three to engage the Covenant. They are sweeping decks 6 through 8, and we have deck 7 to cover. Rules of engagement are no quarter for Covenant troops. Command believes that they may try to surrender, then suicide bomb you when you turn your back, so forget about it, they operated in a totally different system back in these days." He said.

"What if we encounter human forces?" an unggoy from the back asked.

"Scans show no more than 30 humans remaining onboard. They've mostly gathered at the engine room. Delta platoon will be handling that, so don't worry about them. Should scans be mistaken, and we do encounter any survivors, non lethal ordinance is to be used only, we're here to haul their asses out of the fire."

"One minute to the LZ!" the pilot shouted.

The seconds ticked by. There were some that double checked their weaponry, but most just stood still. The tension and anticipation was almost palpable. Tano couldn't wait; he would be the first to go in, he had almost fainted in joy when the platoon leader gave him the honor.

On a wall, a readiness light glowed red. After an abrupt crash into the too small entry hole (The dropship hull was tougher than the titanium in the carrier's armor), underside of the dropship facing inward, floor armor sections slid away to reveal the ship's interior. Without a moment's hesitation, Tano jumped down…into a hail of plasma fire.

Four enemy Sangheili, all in blue armor (Tano blinked, it looked even more archaic than the sets in museums), opened fire on him. A dozen blobs of plasma struck him, and the shields over his own mottled urban camouflage harness flared a dull gray as it easily dissipated the energy. A quick check to his shield bar showed that it dropped by a fifth, but the regenerative shields were already recharging against the hits, although at a slower rate than they were dropping.

As Tano rolled to the side, he aimed his autorifle at the closest minor domo and fired a short burst. Five shots took out the Sangheili's shields, the sixth blew his head clean off. The other three took cover. Their shields were even weaker than he had thought.

One Sangheili rose a little to take pot shots at him. Tano fired off two shots, both headshots, draining the sangheili's shields, but before Tano could finish him off, someone beat him to it. The sangheili's head vaporized in an explosion of purple mist, with the loud crack of a plasma ranger rifle signifying his cause of death. Tano shot a dirty look at the warrior minor who took his kill. He got a shrug in response.

A warrior major dropped to the side of Tano, and raised his own autorifle, this one with an underslung barrel. He fired a single grenade over the cover the minor domos were using. They didn't even have time to scream as the blue-white plasma washed over their bodies, vaporizing the two.

Tano turned to see the rest of the platoon down.

"Lances! Spread out! Alpha and Bravo lances in that direction, Charlie and Delta with me!" Warrior Master Flipyip ordered.

Tano followed the veteran unggoy leader. The veteran commander of the _Light of Deliverance_'s marine complement had a certain aura around him, one that could make any warrior self-assured in their victory.

Almost immediately, they encountered more enemy troops. A group of around forty had hunkered down behind improvised cover in one of the vast UNSC carrier's common areas. Tano and the others in his lance ducked back behind cover from the withering amount of plasma, purple needles, and shots with green tracers coming down the hall.

Flipyip made a hand signal, and waved forward. A trio of hulking Jiralhanae shock troopers lumbered forward, their heavy armor and shielding absorbing the hits with ease, and each with a G-90 rotary plasma minigun in their hands. They opened fire, blowing away any enemy that didn't immediately take cover. The hailstorm of hundreds of plasma shots per second going over the heads of the Covenant troops made sure they stayed down.

With the shock troopers laying down suppression fire, Flipyip waved forward again. He and the five other unggoy in the two lances rushed forward, their natural speed enhanced by their powered armor. The small chimpanzee like warriors were short enough to go without worrying about getting shot in the back.

The shock troopers stopped firing as the half dozen unggoy vaulted over the enemy cover.

To say the twenty or so mix of Sangheili, Kig-Yar, and Covenant unggoy were surprised was an understatement. A black armored Spec Ops. Sangheili dashed forward with an energy sword activated, mandibles wide in glee and derision.

With the speed and grace of an Unggoy blademaster with decades of experience, Flipyip sidestepped the slash, getting into the sangheili's guard. The unggoy jumped over the Sangheili, his leap enhanced by his powered armor harness with its force multiplying muscle fiber, and with his forearm mounted energy blade, cleanly decapitated the overconfident Sangheili.

The rest of the Covenant troopers snapped out of their shock as the Alliance unggoy warriors ran towards them, firing their weapons.

Flipyip darted underfoot, slicing off legs, and in the case of enemy unggoy, cut them apart with precise moves, while making certain to avoid hitting methane containment tanks. Unlike modern unggoy armor, which utilized methane reserves spaced in well shielded and unlikely to be hit areas with extensive safety cut offs, the Covenant unggoy had their tanks displayed prominently on their backs, making them look hunchbacked and easy targets. A pair of Alliance unggoy, each of them dual wielding Sbp plasma SMGs, sprayed the area with wild fire, the high fire rate making up for the lack of true aiming. Another used a non Alliance standard weapon, a 27th century human double barrel shotgun, and shredded a Kig-Yar torso at point blank range.

The rest of the Covenant troops couldn't fire into the melee in fear of hitting their rapidly dwindling allies. The rest of the Alliance troops however, took that distraction to take down exposed enemies with well aimed chest level and headshots. Between the two forces, the Alliance warriors were all very well trained, both in individual skills and teamwork. They used stronger weapons with better accuracy, against foes with armor and shields (If any) much weaker than theirs. Within a minute, the only warriors left standing were Alliance troopers. They had no casualties aside from a single unggoy who lost an arm, due to a needler barrage explosion. As the unggoy's armor auto-meds injected painkillers and sealed off the wound, a Jiralhanae slung the wounded warrior over his large back.

Tano breathed hard but his body was filled with excitement. He had scored five kills! Granted, they were against inferior foes, but he didn't care. So it came as a disappointment when they received the order to fall back to the dropships. There were still probably at least a hundred Covenant troops left onboard, but Delta Platoon had successfully evacuated the human survivors. They had to get off the ship pronto, because the _Deliverance_ was going to blow the carrier and the rest of the derelict ships away to "_preserve the timeline_", which begged the question on why did they interfere in the first place. But it wasn't his place to question things, and Tano knew he performed superbly on this mission, so he didn't care.

* * *

><p><em>A couple minutes earlier<em>

Dropship-D touched down in an auxiliary cargo hangar, amidst ruined hulks of Pelican dropships that had obviously landed under fire, perhaps while evacuating ground troops from the _New Aberdeen_ colony.

Warrior Elite 2nd Class Zoro 'Kosuv shook his head clear of unnecessary thoughts. The mission was at hand. While the marine grunts handled the Covenant boarders, his Alliance Special Ops. Platoon had the delicate job of extracting probable hostiles **alive** and relatively unharmed. Zoro was an eight year veteran of Special Operations however, and had been in this team for six. He had confidence that they could handle this.

He fingered his Misriah & Vadam Armories stun rifle uncomfortably. The MV3R was designed for riot control, and fired a selective strength non lethal solid laser that could knock down anything from an unggoy to a 700 kilogram heavy berserk Jiralhanae. The complex multiple trigger and handle system allowed it to be wielded by human, unggoy, sangheili, and even jiralhanae hands, but it still felt very awkward nonetheless. They all had their regular weapons, but were to use stun weapons and flash bangs only. On the plus side, the humans were unlikely to have anything that could harm them through their high grade Spec Ops. Powered armor.

Zoro raced down the corridor, followed by a pair of unggoy, the diminutive warriors keeping up primarily because of their own powered armor. He turned the corner, and immediately felt a round ping off the top of his head, ineffective against the multi-layer shields.

A trio of humans in naval crew uniforms all wielding pistols looked fearfully at him. Indeed, he admitted he probably looked quite fearsome in his jet black streamlined combat harness, his 2.8 meter high figure blurred and slightly invisible due to the passive camo feature of Spec Ops. Armor.

After a quick check to make sure his selected strength was low enough for unarmored humans, (he didn't want to snap their fragile bodies with an accidental high setting after all) and taking another two ineffective magnum rounds, he fired a wide area blast. All three humans dropped screaming in pain as the laser knocked them down and gave the additional effects of blinding and deafening them. The unggoy strode forward and slapped energy cuffs on each of the humans, before dragging the moaning sailors back to the dropship.

All across the platoon com channel, quiet confirmations of successful takedowns and evacuations sounded. Things were going well. _Humans_, Zoro thought. While they were rather intelligent and cunning in his own time, they were also physically weak.

He wasn't a bigot. There were plenty of those in the Alliance, calling for isolationism and a break with the UNSC. After all, they had repaid their honor debt decades ago. Even so, aside from a few elite fighters Zoro had respect for; the majority of them were frail little beings. This period's humans would be a breeze.

He ate those words however, as he turned into a cryogenics bay where a single life sign awaited. He had thought it was some cowardly crewman hiding inside. What he found however, made him stop in shock.

Standing in the middle of the bay, between two rows of cryo pods was a human figure, 7 feet tall, and very big, nearly as massive as Zoro himself.

Clad in the infamous green Mjolnir armor was a Spartan. Taking advantage of Zoro's stunned surprise, the Spartan landed a headshot on him with a bulky human sniper rifle. A 14.5mm armor piercing round snapped Zoro's head back painfully, while alarms in his helmet whined from nearly being drained in protecting him.

Zoro came out of his stupor and rushed forward, taking advantage of the Spartan's momentary hesitation from seeing an infantry soldier's shields stopping an anti-armor round in the face. He barreled into the Spartan, and smashed the sniper rifle aside.

The Spartan tried to twist Zoro's arm around, in a hold that would break it. Zoro's own natural strength, enhanced with armor managed to hold the Spartan steady.

"I've got a Spartan at my location! I need assistance immediately, cryogenics chamber 9C!" Zoro cried over the team com. He didn't get a chance to see if anyone confirmed his call for help, as the Spartan suddenly dropped low and flipped the surprised sangheili over him and onto his back.

Zoro landed hard, with over 500 kilograms of weight in his powered armor, draining what was left of his shields and denting the armored deckplating.

The Spartan drew a wicked large combat knife, preparing to stab down on the dazed sangheili's neck, a weak spot in the armor.

Zoro was saved however, when a stun rifle shot at full power collided with the Spartan's back, knocking the super soldier off balance and staggering. The Spartan whirled around, throwing the knife with blinding speed and precision at the jiralhanae in the doorway.

Warrior Major 1st Class Cantu deftly caught the blade, mere inches from between his eyes, and blinked.

The Spec Ops. Jiralhane commando tossed the knife aside and charged the Spartan.

Despite being in a ready position, the 600 kilogram armored Spartan yielded against nearly a thousand kilograms of raw brute mass and armor enhanced strength. The Spartan struggled underneath Cantu's crushing weight, nearly dislodging the larger fighter, but Zoro got back on his feet and slapped an armor inhibitor ring around the Spartan's neck in the nick of time.

The Spartan's struggles stopped as the Mjolnir Mk. IV armor locked up.

Both jiralhanae and sangheili panted hard, before looking at each other and breaking into wide grins.

"Thanks, you saved my life." Zoro said, as the adrenaline from pitched combat went down.

"No problem comrade," Cantu replied, while chuckling in relief.

Just then, half a dozen more Spec Ops. Troopers streamed in, weapons at the ready, before stopping and staring at the downed Spartan.

"Holy shit." An unggoy exclaimed in his species' naturally high pitched bark.

"Well, this is unexpected, wonder why the Spartan was in here alone, rather than trying to melt down the main reactor with the rest of the human defenders?" A sangheili major pondered out loud.

Zoro paused to think on that. The Spartan was the only life sign in the chamber, but surely there was something else in here of value…

"The cryo pods! People in deep freeze don't register on active scans!" Cantu exclaimed suddenly.

Everyone immediately started checking pods, looking for possibly important survivors.

Zoro wiped the fogged glass off of one, and stared in shock for a full three seconds.

"I found it."

Everyone came over to see. Another Spartan, this one in scratched and torn armor, hydrostatic gel and blood frozen as they were flowing out of openings in the armor, the reflective orange visor cracked through the middle.

"The pod diagnostic says this one's dead." A sangheili read off a screen.

"Pfft, with their medical technology perhaps, I bet our navy docs can patch this guy up in a heartbeat, he doesn't look that bad." Zoro said offhandedly. Then the full implications of his statement hit him.

Injuries like this Spartan looked to have sustained were easily recoverable from with modern medicine. That meant that they had saved not one, but _**two**_ Spartans on this mission.

They hurriedly popped open the pod, and brought both humans with them, an air of anxiety among them.

* * *

><p><strong>1601 Hours, April 14, 2532 (Military Calendar)\Light of Deliverance, in deep space<strong>

"All dropships have been recovered, and all personnel are accounted for." 'Zamam paused for heartbeat before finishing, "Twenty one human survivors recovered…including two Spartans, although one is clinically dead."

Aeacus's jaw dropped. He wasn't the only one; every officer on the bridge, and even the normally stoic rangers flanking hatchways stared at the subcommander.

"Perhaps you would all like that explanation now." Fal stated, wryly.

"Please." Aeacus whispered, softly enough that only Fal heard him.

"Do tell, the ramifications of what just happened is mind numbing." 'Zamam concurred with the A.I. "Although I suppose since we're still here, we didn't cause a time paradox?"

"I drew the conclusion that we should interfere from both UNSC and Covenant records of this engagement. Namely, that both sides have little to no idea on what happened. The UNSC destroyer _Resolute_, after witnessing the _Thunderchild_'s destruction, jumped to slipspace. Their sensors were badly damaged in the battle of _New Aberdeen_, so besides some vague and questionable visual accounts, they had no information. They did, however, see what appeared to be a large nuke detonating in the Covenant formation. They assumed the _Atlas_ fired it."

"So that was what the _shield popper_ was for…" Aeacus said, think aloud.

"Correct commander, a prowler was tasked to see the aftermath of the battle…and they found nothing left. They'll be arriving in a day and a half. By the way, that means we also need to obliterate the remains of these ships." Fal continued.

Aeacus nodded and gave the order. Even as Fal continued his explanation, Mayap thoroughly vaporized all debris from each derelict ship, starting with the UNSC carrier. By the time he was done, little was left.

"As you may all have figured out by now, this situation is an apparent predestination paradox. We were **meant** to interfere, and make sure history played out how it did. The Covenant records show that not a single ship made it back either. They'll be sending a ship in a couple hours; they'll also find nothing and assume that a large number of human warships managed to ambush their ships." Fal finished.

"Then these twenty one humans are lucky, they may have a second chance in life." 'Zamam declared.

"Provided we get to our own time." Fal replied.

"Yes, provided we find a way back to our own time. This situation has given me hope that we are on the right path. Resume course heading, our previous path." Aeacus ordered.

"Engines are charging…"

"Commander, my deepest apologies for challenging your decision. It looks like you were correct after all, and I should not have countered your orders. You have, after all, earned your position through undisputed honorable trials." 'Zamam said, in a humbled tone of voice.

"It is alright subcommander, I respect your actions, your point was valid, without Fal's knowledge of historical records. No harm, no foul, as I've heard humans say." Aeacus reassured.

"Engines are charged." Officer 'Rolam reported.

"Punch it." The commander growled.

Once again, the out of place starship disappeared, silently and stealthily, its advanced slipspace engines diving the ship into the alternate dimension without so much as a ripple.

* * *

><p><strong>Alliance Fleet Archives<strong>

_**Aegis-Class Light Destroyer**_

_The Aegis Light Destroyer is a fast, well armed warship designed for anti-piracy, border patrol, and capital ship support._

_Dimensions: 705 meters in length, 189 meters beam_

_It has 12 dual barrel high energy plasma beam cannon hard points, located strategically on the hull to cover and overlap on all angles and archs. There are four antimatter missile pods each five missiles apiece, as well as sixteen additional missile pods with twenty five conventional plasma charge missiles per pod. 38 Plasma Autocannon CIWS are used for point defense. The ship's primary ship to ship weapon however, is the Particle Accelerator Cannon, a relatively recent development designed for battleships. While this miniaturized version is considered underpowered by detractors of this ship's design, it boasts more than enough power to handle any pirate craft._

_The ship is built out of a Vanadium steel hull, with 3 meters of Ultra-Titanium composite intertwined with beam dispersal alloys. The ship mounts the MK. III Alliance shield system, which consists of a primary shield layer, with a secondary shield layer that reinforces weapon impact points for maximum protection. Through the precise cycling of the double shield layers, the ship's own weapons fire is allowed through without compromising shield status._

_The Aegis-Class destroyer uses one of the most advanced ECM warfare suites available. When used in conjunction with stealth coatings and heat sinks, the ship is virtually invisible to scans with up to 50% power utilization._

_The destroyer has a standard crew of 364 sailors, a 120 member marine complement, and 1 combat A.I._

_Within spacious launch bays, the class carries 12 Guardian Interceptors, 4 Valkyrie Dropships/Gunboats, and 4 Archangel Heavy Bombers._

* * *

><p><strong>4<strong>**th**** Generation S-Grade Alliance Combat A.I. Fal 'Chavam Personal Database**

_~Copy of Catherine Halsey's Personal Journal~_

_Entry: January 5, 2554_

_Kurt's loss was a dear one, just when I finally found him again…_

_All my Spartans have been accounted for, all except one. Randall was marked MIA in 2532, but everyone presumes him to be dead. After all, how could anyone have survived in his situation?_

_Entry Excerpt: April 18, 2532_

_It's been a hectic few days, with reports of the Covenant finding their first Inner Colony. The admiralty is panicking, and I don't blame them._

_But I'm focusing on an engagement on the 14__th__. John and the rest of his team are in grief over leaving Randall behind after all they went through on New Aberdeen. I don't blame the Resolute's captain though; it was a hopeless situation, he was lucky to have escaped. Two Spartans lost, one on the ground, another on a crippled ship. Did he have a chance?_

_ONI's prowler found little traces of the battle, only ionized dust. Things aren't adding up. Blue team is growing colder and more distant each day, they've lost Sam at the start of the war, Kurt last year, and now Randall. How much more will this war cost us?_

* * *

><p>Well, believe it or not, this story is just about halfway finished. I told you it was short! In case anyone thinks Alliance technology is too overpowered, these guys are from over a century in the future…<p>

Here's a comparison...a 21st century fully equipped army against one from the turn of the 20th century, with all the differences in technology and fighting strategies.

The PAC and some weapons used in this chapter have been influenced by the Gundam series. xD In particular, a certain hyper mega particle gun used in a recent ova…

The references at the end of each chapter may be taking up too much space, I may just take them all and arrange them in an appendix or something. I've made articles for weapons, and ship based technology used in the story, not to mention "historical" events, ship classes, and more. It's enough to fill up a chapter's worth of space.


End file.
